Life in Hock

Pawnbrokers find the goods that cross
their counters a reflection of the times. In 1932 business was rotten:
the U.S. had run out of things to hock. Now pawnshopslike the
nationare on a queer, priority-ridden, psychologically insecure
spree. Despite typewriter freezing (which has stopped loans on a
pawnshop specialty), despite the fact that no workman today would think
of hocking his irreplaceable micrometers, calipers and toolbox, most
U.S. pawnshops are in the money.